FIRST THINGS FIRST, I CHANGED MY PENNAME FROM THE HEART'S BLAZING FIRE TO METSURYUS.

Second, I have a life-threatening writer's block. Still not admitting that i finished this a few weeks ago. HAHA.

10. Smile

—It looks good on you.

She was sitting alone in a bench, wiping off the beads of the tears rolling down her cheeks. Her latest date didn't go so well, because it turned out the guy she had been dating already got another girl.

And he was such a nice guy... she whispered to herself. She wiped down the last drop. No, I can't cry. Come on Lucy, he's not worth crying!

She felt the sudden weight change, and turned to her left side where a boy was currently sitting. Wait, is his hair pink? Or am I imagining things?

"Yo!" He greeted her with a wide ear-to-ear grin.

Lucy blinked. Once. Twice. "Er... Do I know you?"

"No. My name's Natsu by the way."

He offered his hand, signaling for a handshake. She hesitantly accepted, and was surprised by the warmth radiating from his calloused hand.

"L-Lucy." She blurted, her strong voice gone all of a sudden, replaced with shameful stutters. "So... Have we met before?"

"No. I just happened to pass by and I saw you crying. I can't leave a girl crying alone here, right?" He smiled. Again. "I may look like...this," He jabbed his chest with his thumb, "But I still care about people around me, acquaintances or not."

Lucy examined him thoroughly. Spiky and messy hair, feral onyx eyes and sharp jawlines. Black t-shirt with dragon print, jeans torn at a few places with a hanging silver chain, and beaten-up black Converse. Even when it's covered by a shirt, she could see the beautifully chiseled muscles beneath them. Definitely a badass. The only thing of him which wasn't badass-looking was the color of his hair. Oh, and a white scarf which basically ruined his delinquent attire.

"I appreciate your concern, Natsu-san, but I'm okay now. Thank you." Lucy smiled.

"See, you smiled." Natsu replied the smile with his own. "By the way, just Natsu's fine. Should I go treat you to lunch or something?"

"There's no need for that—"

"Aw, come on!" He pulled her hand forcefully, but surprisingly it didn't feel rough. "Don't be shy!"

Turned out, Natsu was a really, really, really, nice guy. And he attended Magnolia University, just like her. He was majoring in sports while she was in public relations. (That explains the awesome abs)

She sighed heavily and laid herself down on the bed, falling back first and arms stretched widely. Natsu was probably one of the nicest person she had met, aside from her best friends Erza, Levy, and Juvia. Despite having only met for hours, she felt like she could trust him with anything, and talking to him relieved parts of her that she never knew could be freed of burden. Not even her best friends could do that.

During the five hours of their 'first meeting' they had shared stories, laughed at each other's jokes, and also saved each other's phone numbers and emails. Hell, even when they were walking many people mistook them as couples. Oh, and don't forget, he walked her home, and she pecked his cheek out of gratitude. Being the 'grateful girl' she was.

So why, after thinking back to the 'gratitude peck' (she highly refused to call it a kiss), her heart was pounding like drums?

A week later...

"So Lu-chan, are you dating that guy?" Her best friend, Levy, playfully elbowed her arm. Lucy was sure her blush exceeded Erza's hair color.

"W-Wha—?! Of course not!" Lucy stuttered. "He's just another best friend of mine, that's all!"

"Juvia doesn't seem to see it the same way Lucy does." Another best friend of hers, Juvia, answered. "Natsu-san seems to look at Lucy... How should Juvia put it... Heatedly? Or more towards 'passionately'?"

"Juvia, with all due respect, I don't date that guy and he doesn't look at me like that!" Lucy hissed, sighing exasperatedly. "I happened to met him when I was sitting on the bench—"

Levy smirked. "Romance novel-like, indeed." Juvia and Erza simply nodded.

"I never thought that dense head of his would be able to get close to a girl like you." Erza suddenly confessed. "I mean, he was like the densest person you'd ever met. I've known him since middle school and the only thing he really cared was his fights with Gray and starting from high school, Gajeel."

Gajeel was Levy's boyfriend and Juvia got a huge crush on Gray. Erza herself was in a long-distance relationship with a man known as Jellal. Lucy was never interested in her own love life, thinking that she got more important matters to deal with.

"Speak of the devil." Levy whispered with a mischievous gleam on her eyes, and Lucy turned. Natsu and Gray was half-walking half-fighting towards their table. When they were within two meters radius, Erza coughed a little bit and the two boys immediately ceased from their fighting. Deeming that they were in a peaceful state, she let them proceed to the table.

"Yo!" Natsu and Gray greeted them together (unintentionally, of course). Both glared at each other, while Juvia glared at Lucy ('Gray-sama greeted Lucy before he greets Juvia...').

"I said that first, brain-freeze..."

"You copied me, brains for ash..."

Erza coughed again, and the boys stopped. "What brings the two of you here?"

"This flame—I mean, Natsu wants to see Lucy, and I come along because I'm bored." Gray replied. "A-And I'm his friend, too, so w-why not?" He added quickly.

Meanwhile, Lucy had to deal with Juvia's dark glare, but she just replied with a confused look.

"It's nice to see you two being friends like this. Friends do fight sometimes, but seeing the two of you converse in such pleasant tones, it's a pleasure indeed." Gray and Natsu scoffed inwardly.

"Ah! There's Lucy!" Natsu scooted over to her side. "How was your day?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine! How about you?"

"Never better!"

Gray, Erza, Juvia, and Levy all looked at Natsu and Lucy. Deny it or not, you two still look like couples.

"Lucy, what'd you say for a walk tonight? Your call now." His smile stretched into a wide grin, and Lucy took some time checking her schedules.

"Offer accepted, Mr. Dragneel. How about to the new cafe beside the stations?" She smiled back, and Natsu couldn't help but yelled literally in triumph. Lucy quickly shot him a glare to shut him up, while the rest of the group continued teasing the two.

He took her on a date almost everyday, if they had free time. Said that 'I like spending my time with you, I just feel comfortable with it.'.

What bugged her was the fact that she had been waiting for him to say 'I love you'. She fully understood what it's like to say it to someone of the opposite gender. It's just quite strange how Natsu won't say those three words, even though they had hugged and pecked each other (on the cheeks, of course!) countlessly.

Erza, Juvia and Levy still kept their suspicions of their relationships and often mentioned them to Lucy herself, who was no longer denying her growing feelings for the pinkette. When they asked about Natsu's feelings about her, she simply countered, "Give him time. You said he was dense, right? I think he was not even aware of his feelings, or maybe he haven't figured them out yet."

But the strange thing happened on the seventh date. She was waiting for him in front of the theatre. Natsu came like usual.

"H-Hello, Lucy-s—Lucy!" He stuttered. Lucy quirked an eyebrow.

"Yo, Natsu. Cat got your tongue or something?"

"N-Nothing. L-Let's just watch the m-movie, okay?"

The next dates weren't any better. Natsu kept stuttering, and on the eleventh date she finally decided to confront him.

"Natsu, seriously what the hell is wrong with you?"

"I-I'm fine Lucy..."

"Liar." She glared at him, and cold sweat began trickling down his face. "I know you, and even if it's only for a short time, I memorized many of your habits." She jabbed her index finger in his chest. "One—Natsu never stutters, he only did that when he's really, really nervous. Two—Yesterday when you took me to the amusement park, you don't get motion sickness. Natsu told me that he got severe motion sickness. Yet why," She jabbed harder, "Aren't you getting any? Answer me truthfully, Dragneel."

Natsu smiled, a mixture between embarrasment, and what was that? Sadness? "Guess I've been found..."

Lucy was sprinting through the hallways, ignoring the stares she received from basically everyone.

"My name is Natsu Dragion, Dragneel's twin brother."

Before she knew it, tears had started streaming down her makeup-coated cheeks.

"A few days ago Brother told me to go in his place..."

"...can't walk..."

"...reaching his limits..."

She shakily opened the door in front of her. She could see a very familiar face lying on the bed, his face no longer as bright and lively as he used to look. The contours of his muscles wasn't as visible as it used to be, and not to mention the pink on his hair was slowly fading and it got less spikier.

He looked at her shockedly, but quickly averted his gaze towards the ceiling. "I don't want you to see me in such a pitiful state."

"You still looked Natsu Dragneel enough to me."

He stared back at the blonde figure who was slowly approaching him. The pinkhead flashed her a weak grin. "Sorry."

"I should have known... On the fifth date... You were coughing so hard." She confessed, holding his red wristband-clad arm. "I was hesitant to ask you about that, but to think it leads to all this..."

"Unimaginable, right?" He chuckled, cutting her off. More tears ran down her face, and he slowly sat up. "Hey, don't cry. I hate that."

She pulled him into a tight bear hug. The constant tears flowing from her eyes dampened his shirt, but he didn't seem to care. He gently stroked her golden tresses, soothing her with every warmth left in that fragile body of his. His eyes were misty, but he tried his best to hold them back. He didn't want to show Lucy his weak side, he couldn't make her regret as much as he had.

"I'm sorry... I should've told you sooner, but I can't..." He could feel the water coming out from those slanted eyes of his. Surely, Gray would mock him to his end if he saw him in here and now. "I'll say it now... I'm the luckiest guy... To be your one and only. We've been together for less than a month, but it felt like years for me. Lucy Heartfilia, I love you with every fiber of my being. I have so many proof that I can't tell you each and every one of them..." His voice broke down.

Lucy pulled the young man closer, embracing his lips in a long, passionate kiss.

"I love you... More than you ever know... My dearest Natsu Dragneel." She whispered, her voice hoarse and dry as she held the now lifeless body in her arms.

At least, he left the world with a smile.

I'm not gonna write angst again.

I cried writing this. I showed this to my friend, and she cried too. Said 'wow your choice of words striked me right in the heart.' I didn't even know what possessed me to write this chapter, so let me know if you want to die or keep living but bear in mind but if you wanna die i'm with you.